Let’s face it – rebounding is not very glamorous. It’s a thankless job, especially on the defensive end, but many coaches will argue that the battle on the boards has a humongous impact on the outcome of any game.
And while there is some technique to it, most of rebounding comes to two things – heart and desire. And yes, these aren’t really things you can teach players, you can create an environment that promotes and rewards players that show those characteristics.
Pound The Board Drill
This is a great warmup drill, getting your players up and down quite a bit, as well as improving hand and forearm strength.
Have a player line up on one side of the rim, and jump up once, twice, and a third time, slamming the ball on the back board each time.
After the third backboard slam, they will jump up and finish the lay-up with their outside hand, and catch the rebound as they slide over, to repeat the drill on the other side of the backboard.
One on One Rebounding
Have two players line up, one on each block, facing the rim, with you at the free throw line with a ball. On your command, they will both run out and touch
the three point line, and then sprint back into the key, fighting for that rebound.
You can have players rotate out after every rebound, or have players fight to be the first player to rhee rebounds, with the loser, running sprints or seventeens.
Four Player Rebounding
Instead of just two players, here we will put four in, with two on the blocks, and another two on the elbows, but instead of running out to the 3 point line, the defenders will begin fighting for position as soon as the ball is thrown up.
You can utilize this as a drill to focus on offensive rebounding, and count the two at the elbows as one team, or leave it as a pure free for all – both will give you high intensity battles in the
paint, and really get your players going.
Coaching Tips
- You have to stress the importance of intensity in these drills, as there is no technique or skill that is being improved here – just conditioning and effort. That’s why putting up a large penalty; say 5 sprints up and down the court, will make sure to keep everyone’s intensity level high.
If you’re looking for more drills for your big men, make sure to check out these post offense drills!